Joseph I. Castro was appointed the eighth president of Fresno State by the California State University Board of Trustees in May 2013. Castro joined Fresno State after holding several leadership positions at University of California campuses, most recently serving as vice chancellor, student academic affairs at UC San Francisco.

At UC San Francisco, Castro was responsible for the leadership of a broad range of departments focused on enriching the educational experience of the university's talented and diverse student body. Castro also held the position of adjunct professor in the department of family and community medicine in the School of Medicine at UCSF. During his 23-year career, Castro served in leadership positions within the UC system at the Berkeley, Davis, Merced and Santa Barbara campuses and at the Office of the President.